How My 100 Days Writing Works
I've been learning about my own writing style using this 100DaystoOffload thing. Writing under a deadline is different, and writing with a quick turnaround loop is different still. The things I write here are going to be “submitted” instantly.
I often describe myself as a “recovering programmer”. I was never an excellent programmer, but I was good enough to be made a “senior” developer, and then to lead my own team for about a year until I made the jump to the “management” side. One of the things I learned as a software developer was the “DRY” principle: Don't Repeat Yourself. In software development this is a good idea because it reduces bugs. In the rest of life it's a good idea because it reduces time wasted.
So in blogging I look for a few shortcuts. One is using an editor that isn't just Markdown aware but markdown friendly. In my current setup, this is Bear by Shiny Frog. You don't care who made the app of course. I just like putting it in here because the name Shiny Frog is so good.
The next shortcut is using a clip expander. In my case I've been using TextExpander for so long I have a hard time contemplating the move to anything else. There are many out there, this one is mine. I use TextExpander to take care of fiddly bits that I hate remembering for myself. For example, Markdown Hyperlinks. The format is simple: [words](https://link) but for some reason I always forget it and want to do it backwards. So I set it up in Text Expander. Now I type mdlc and I get a markdown-formatted (the md part identifies this snippet as part of my Markdown suite of snippets) link, with whatever URI is currently on the clipboard in the proper place, and the cursor inside the square brackets.
I've got similar shortcuts for putting in the <!--more--> marker and the 100DaysToOffload boilerplate announcement at the bottom of these posts.
I tend to write these things when the mood strikes me, which means I might write three in one day, so I use the “Drafts” feature of Write.as to create the posts, save them, then schedule them out, so that I have them appearing when I want them. Once they're scheduled I move them to this blog and they pop up on time like seeds planted in good soil.
Nothing about my workflow is all that unique, of course, but It's enjoyable to share anyway.
I’m publishing this as part of 100 Days To Offload. You can join in yourself by visiting 100 Days To Offload.
#100DaysToOffload 15/100